Abstract
From January 1985 to December 1987, 17 patients with advanced malignant melanoma were treated with the poly-chemotherapy regimen BELD (bleomycin, 15 mg subcutaneously on day 1 and 4, vindesine 3 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1 and 5, CCNU 80 mg/m2 orally on day 1 and DTIC 200 mg/m2 intravenously on day 1 through 5) proposed as effective (CR + PR 45%) and tolerable. All patients were evaluable for toxicity and 14/17 also for response after 2 BELD cycles (total n. of cycles was 54). Criteria for response were just the same as those used by Young et al. A complete remission and a partial remission (2/14) have been observed at lymph nodal level, the unique sites of the disease in these two patients. Remission lasted 6 and 4 months, respectively. Two other patients showed a minimal response of 2 and 3 months duration (lymphonodal and cutis, respectively); 9 patients had stabilized disease of 5 months median duration. One case of progression of disease was observed. However, toxicity was relevant because of 2 early deaths after the first cycle, most probably therapy related; nausea and vomiting (82%), leukopenia (17%) and muscle rigors (11%).
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